The Celts were a diverse group of people who once spoke a common language, Old Celtic. They had a large empire that stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to central Italy. The Celts dispersed due to invasions and their language fragmented. Today, many people identify as descendants of the Celts and are proud of their heritage. The Celtic literary tradition and artistic style are also notable.
Celts are those people who once spoke a Celtic language, including modern descendants of those people. The word Celtic comes from the Greek keltoi, meaning “secret people,” and is the reason why Celt is pronounced with a hard “C” or “K” sound. The Celts are a large group of people with diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds.
Around 3 BC, most of Europe was Celtic and all of these people spoke a common language, Old Celtic. The empire stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to the Scottish Highlands, the Black Sea and central Italy. At the time, the enormous size of the Celtic empire led to the development of two distinct groups of Celts. Those people near the Iberian peninsula were known as the Celtiberians and those who lived near the Black Sea were the Galtae. Eventually, the invasion of Romans, Saxons, Angles and Jutes forced the Celtic people north and west of Europe. When the Celts dispersed, the language also fragmented.
The first wave of Celts in the British Isles spoke what is called Goidelic, which eventually led to three Gaelic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx. These three languages were mainly spoken in Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scotland. The second wave of Celtic immigrants spoke the Brythonic form of the language, which led to Welsh and Cornish, and also survived as Breton, spoken in Brittany, a region of France.
Today, many people identify as descendants of the Celts and are proud of their Celtic heritage. Ireland’s effort to prevent Gaelic from dying out completely was spurred by a constitutional referendum in 1937 which made Gaelic the official language. Road signs, advertisements and television broadcasts are often presented in Irish as well as English.
The Celtic literary tradition began in the 8th century. The Celts also developed their own artistic and musical style. The art often incorporates curved lines and knots and has complex symbolic meanings, often drawing on literary themes.
Pictish art was created in Scotland from the 5th to the 9th century. His images, typically carved in stone, include animals, people, biblical motifs, and intricately scrolled crosses. Some of these images can be seen in the Book of Kells, a manuscript transcribed by Celtic monks in AD 5, which is considered by some to be ‘Ireland’s finest national treasure’.
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